CHAPTER 1 ASSESSMENTS
SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION: WHAT AND WHY?
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE (CHOOSE THE BEST RESPONSE.)
1. The social studies curriculum is aimed at two goals:
a. Adult employment and democratic citizenship.
b. Social understanding and democratic citizenship.
c. Personal fulfillment and social knowledge.
d. Marketable skills and social understanding.
2. Curriculum narrowing has resulted in:
a. Less time for social studies, more time for math.
b. Less time for social studies, more time for art.
c. Less time for reading instruction.
d. More time for social studies instruction.
3. What subgoal of social studies learning is directed towards feelings and beliefs?
a. Attitudes and values.
b. Research skills.
c. Chronological understanding.
d. Content knowledge.
4. The subgoal of skills in social studies is related to knowledge because:
a. Knowledge must be learned before skills.
b. Skills are learned first, and then knowledge.
c. Skills determine knowledge.
d. Skillful behavior is supported by knowledge.
5. Which of the following is NOT an example of how the social studies should be taught in the
elementary grades?
a. The social studies should be relevant to students’ lives.
b. The students should be lectured about social studies daily.
c. The social studies should be taught in ways that help students gain insight into their social
and physical world.
d. The social studies curriculum should broaden students’ perspectives.
6. The text proposes that a social studies scope and sequence for the elementary grades should:
a. Begin with aspects of topics that are familiar to students and expand to those aspects long
ago and far away.
b. Begin with historical understanding and move into geographical understanding.
c. Begin with comparative studies to build a foundation for later study.
d. Begin with an emphasis on skills of oral communication and move into skills of written
communication.
7. The text author proposes that teachers develop a curriculum planning habit of applying the ten
social studies conceptual themes to the subject matter topical emphasis at an elementary grade
level. Why is this an important habit?
a. Teachers are able to integrate other content areas into their social studies scope and
sequence.
b. The relevance of instructional strategies to students’ lives can be guaranteed.
c. The scope of a topic is expanded and deepened so that student understanding is expanded
and deepened.
d. A social studies scope and sequence can be created for an entire elementary school.
8. A major limit of many sixth and seventh grade social studies programs is that they:
a. Choose concepts that have broad applicability across skills and concepts.
b. Have no coherent scope and sequence.
c. Lack applicability to the ten Social Studies conceptual themes.
d. Attempt to deal with too many topics so that depth of understanding is sacrificed.
9. According to the text, an “achievement gap” persists today between White and non-White
students and between students from poor and rich families in part because:
a. Teachers are not trying hard enough to close it.
b. Schools have become too large.
c. Poor students more often have fewer books in the home and parents with fewer years of
schooling.
d. Multicultural education has not been widely accepted.
10. According to the text, which of the following is NOT a reason explaining why social studies
units are often integrated units?
a. Social studies instruction is always thematic instruction.
b. Social studies often requires reading and writing.
c. Social studies has already integrated the social sciences, history and the humanities.
d. Social studies is animated by inquiry much like Science.
II. SHORT ANSWER
Evaluate the author’s statement, “Without historical understanding there can be no wisdom.” Do
you believe it is true?
III. EXTENDED RESPONSE
As part of your application for a teaching position, you are asked to outline a two-week social
studies unit for second graders that illustrates your understanding of the three subgoals of
IV. DISCUSSION
Discuss the following issue with a group of classmates. Then, use one of the rubrics found in
Chapter 3 to assess your participation.
To what extent, if any, should democratic education be the special responsibility of the social
studies rather than the whole school?
CHAPTER 1 SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION: WHAT AND WHY